Let Me Go
by showeringtiger7
Summary: Destiny never made sense to Zuko. It was one great mystery that he could never solve. And it was about to confuse him again. Iroh is critically injured by Azula's lightning; Katara offers to help heal him...and Zuko agrees. They soon find themselves drawn to each other. With his heart opening up to her, perhaps he will find a destiny that he never even realized was a possibility.
1. Destiny

Author's Note: UPDATE (As of 08/21/12). Hey guys. Sorry. Failing again. This story sounded a lot better in my head and I realized that I had some major holes with the original plot; so I'm trashing that and trying again. I'm doing a different approach. So, yeah. This story is under major construction and I hope you can stay with me for a little bit while I get this stuff sorted out. This chapter is new. Others will be edited as well.

But for those of you who may have read this after I updated it. This is a remake of my old fic "The only way to survive." I wasn't proud of it. I got many reviews on it but I thought I could do better. So this remake is my first attempt at revising some of the ways I write. And it's definitely a bumpy road. :)

This fic picks up at the end of "The Chase" when Iroh gets shocked by Azula.

* * *

><p>"<em>Zuko, I can help…"<em>

_That peasant; that water tribe wench thought that I needed help? Well, I didn't! I could help my uncle on my own; without the help of _them_. The group that had been responsible for my misery; because of the Avatar._

_But Uncle…he was hurt. He was hurting badly. Even in his unconscious state I could see his face scrunched up in agony. What was I going to do? How was I going to get him out of here? What if I couldn't give him proper medical attention? What if…what if he…?_

…_died?_

_I squeezed my eyes shut at the thought. No! This couldn't be the end! Azula…I was going to kill her. I was going to make her pay for doing this to him!_

_I could feel those four pairs of eyes watching me; boring holes into my back, into my soul. Did they find amusement in this? The Great Prince of the Fire Nation wearing earthly peasant garb; crying into the ground? I hated them, hated them all. I turned and glared at them._

_The Avatar was wary as my eyes met his; he held his staff in a slightly defensive position waiting for me to attack. The idiot water tribe warrior stood by, looking at me with uneasiness. The blind girl (who was she?) looked as though she were about to cry as she watched my uncle's agonized face. My eyes then came to rest on the source of the voice. _

_The watertribe girl stood before me; one foot farther in front of the other, as if she wished to approach me. I looked straight into her eyes and saw a whir of emotions. She looked afraid, she looked suspicious, she looked exhausted, she looked saddened, she looked…_

…_like she pitied me._

_I intensified my glare on her and I could see she became uneasy. Her foot shied back slightly. I despised those that pitied me. I received enough of it in my life and I didn't need it! I didn't need them! I would not show weakness and succumb to their request! I could take care of Uncle myself; without their help._

_I was tempted to blast an arc fire at them and tell them to leave. That would scare them off. But then suddenly Uncle's voice popped into my head:_

"Prince Zuko, those that follow their pride will eventually come to despair. Humble yourself and you will find the right path."

_Of ALL the times for one of Uncle's stupid proverbs to come to me! I looked back at him, half expecting to believe that he actually said it. And then I noticed the black area on his chest where he'd been hit was getting worse; and angrily I realized I couldn't help him, not on my own._

_Alright Uncle, I'll listen, just this one time I'll listen. Slowly I rose to my feet and turned to face the group. They had all switched to slightly more defensive stances. I looked at all four of them before my eyes came to rest once again on the water tribe girl._

"_Then help," was all I said._

Uncle Iroh often told Zuko that "destiny is a funny thing." Zuko never understood what he meant. Not until now, anyway. He always thought he had life all figured out. At such a young age, he struggled; and he struggled often. His father never loved him; his sister loathed him. His mother who loved him dearly left him when he was only a boy; and he took his caring uncle for granted very often.

He thought that was what his life would be; an ongoing and pointless struggle for his father's affection and love. Honestly, he was almost comfortable with that way of life. Still destined to become the Fire Lord; it wouldn't be that bad.

But this humorous destiny that Uncle kept talking about seemed to have a pretty sick and twisted absurdity when it came to Zuko. He already led a hard life as a kid; yet destiny came to him again. It changed form on him; suddenly he was disowned by his father with the only possibility of redemption coming in the form of capturing a twelve-year-old boy and bringing him home. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, the boy eluded him. It seemed that destiny eluded him as well; it was indeed a very fickle mistress.

Now he found himself wandering the Earth Kingdom alone; trying to find his own way. Destiny hid itself from him often. This time it hid itself very well; he wasn't sure what his destiny was anymore. And he wasn't sure that, if he ever found it, it would remain the same for long. He'd like to think it was to restore his honor; to capture the Avatar and be welcomed back home. But now he wasn't so sure.

So, yes, destiny was indeed funny. It was the comical relief in Zuko's life. It was the bitter sarcasm that kept him going. It was a hopeless pursuit; yet Zuko continued on its path. He would follow it forever. Why? He wasn't sure. Maybe it was because it gave him hope. As fickle and cruel as it was, it gave him a sense of meaning.

Now his uncle was injured; dangerously so. And he was putting his fate in the hands of the very group of people he had been pursuing clear across from the South Pole to the North. The Avatar was right there; right within his reach. But there was nothing Zuko could do. He didn't have a ship; he didn't even have a way to tie the brat up. He could only watch helplessly and hope that they could heal Uncle. Then he would leave when he saw that his uncle was well again. Then…then what?

Yes. Destiny was the most hilarious thing that mankind has ever known.


	2. Moment

A/N: UPDATE This chapter has been revamped.

* * *

><p><em>I'm hanging by a moment<em>

_Here with you_

_-Lifehouse_

* * *

><p>Well, to say this situation was "awkward" was an understatement…<p>

She sat in front of a pot, stirring up some contents of stew to serve to the, now, four other people in the camp. After Zuko had finally come around and allowed her to help heal his uncle, the rest of the group carefully loaded him up on Appa, and took off for a safe place to land.

Though they'd been relentlessly chased by Azula in the night and were exhausted, they were still hungry. Famished, actually. Katara insisted that everyone have food in their stomachs before they went to sleep. But that wasn't all. She looked up from the pot and her eyes swept across the campsite. Aang sat on the sleeping Appa's head, fighting to remain awake as his head bobbed up and down from weariness. She wasn't sure if she'd ever felt this physically exhausted before…or if she'd seen her group this exhausted.

Sokka sat against a log. His arms were crossed and his knee was bouncing like crazy. She didn't fail to notice the boomerang in his hand. He was glaring daggers at the new "company" (Well, one of them, specifically…). Probably because of the proximity that they sat to Aang.

Only Toph seemed to be at ease. She lay sprawled on the ground; one leg crossed over the other and a long piece of grass stuck out of her mouth. Her eyes were closed and it was obvious that she was fighting off sleep as well.

Katara chanced a glance over at Zuko and his uncle who sat in Appa's saddle. Everyone agreed that it would be best for Iroh to stay there, in case the group had to make a quick getaway. Zuko refused to leave his uncle's side; it was also probably a good excuse so that he didn't need to be anywhere near the rest of the group. He was well aware of Sokka's glare on him from his high point; but he didn't bother to return it. Instead he scowled in another direction; refusing to acknowledge him or anyone else in any way.

Despite everyone's exhaustion, there was a quiet tension that was thick and obvious; so much in fact that she was sure she could reach out and touch it. She found herself looking from her pot to Zuko often; partially out of wariness for Aang's safety and partially out of curiosity.

However, Zuko seemed to catch on to her staring and turned to look at her; the annoyed scowl never leaving his face. She felt herself blush in embarrassment and quickly looked back down at the pot and frantically finished stirring the stew. Soon, she couldn't take the ironically loud silence any longer and stood up.

"Okay guys! Dinner!" she said in a voice much louder than intended. This woke Aang up and he leapt off Appa's head.

"Great! I'm starved," He quickly rushed over to her and she made sure to not place any meat in his bowl. Sokka and Toph weren't far behind. She quickly scooped their contents into the bowls and handed it to them. They walked back to their places, slurping the stew contentedly. She looked back at Zuko and saw that he was making no move to get the food.

She sighed before scooping some more stew into a bowl and walked over to Appa. His eyes followed her the entire way. They weren't welcoming; she noticed. Would he be so proud as to refuse food from an enemy? She didn't know. And she didn't know why she was pushing so hard to make sure he ate. She was practically serving him. Zuko. Son of Fire Lord Ozai!

She must have been a lot more tired than she thought…

"Zuko, come on. You need to eat," she said when she got into Appa's saddle. She offered him the bowl but he shook his head and turned away.

"Why?" She demanded. She frowned at him. He didn't snap at her; didn't call her a Water Tribe peasant. No insults. Nothing. He just sat there with a scowl on his face, refusing to look at her. Why was he acting so different? Further, she finally looked at the clothes he was wearing, why was he dressed in Earth Kingdom clothing? His ponytail was gone; hair cropped short. Was he simply disguising himself and trying to follow Aang on foot?

That was a pretty stupid idea. He couldn't get very far with Aang on foot. He wouldn't be that desperate.

Then again…he seemed pretty desperate in the North Pole when he dragged Aang through the frozen tundra and nearly killed both of them. She was so willing to leave him in the snow then. Once Aang was back, she didn't care about anything else. She defeated him with a swift motion of waterbending and didn't give him a second thought until Aang insisted that they take him.

And now she found herself showing concern for Zuko's well being. Heck, she was practically serving him food! Why now? He was the enemy. They were taking high risks having him this close to Aang; no matter how low his rates of success were.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a rather loud eruption of grumbles coming from Zuko's stomach. So sudden in fact that he jumped and grabbed it quickly; as if covering an unseen mouth.

She couldn't help it; she laughed.

"Shut up!" He shouted; finally acknowledging her with his eyes. A very apparent blush had risen to his cheeks; making Katara laugh more. He could've sworn he heard sniggers from the other three and turned to glare at them. The second he turned, they started acting innocent. Too innocent.

"Come on, Zuko," she said, wiping a tear from her eye, "Why don't you feed that monster in your belly before lashing out at the rest of us?"

He stared at her a moment longer; his eyes weren't scowling this time. They seemed more skeptical. She couldn't help but roll her eyes again, "Relax," she said, "I didn't spike the stew with poison or anything."

She got up and returned to the pot to pour some more food for herself. When she looked back up, she was satisfied to see that he was practically scarfing the food down. It was obvious that he was just as famished as the rest of them were; possibly even worse. Nothing was heard but the sound of scraping against the bowls as everyone ate and the chirps and grunts of the creatures of the night. Their exhaustion was forgotten for the time being.

Iroh lay beside his nephew; his stillness was frightening. From where she sat, it almost looked as if he wasn't breathing; as if he was a dead body awaiting burial. She had healed him immediately when Zuko had allowed her to. She'd worked quickly, covering the general extent of the wound and bandaging it up; but she hadn't had a chance to really look at it. They had had to leave quickly and get away from the area in case Azula had any other tricks up her sleeve. Katara had promised Zuko that she would take a more critical look at the wound once they were safe.

Sokka walked up to her and handed her his bowl, "So…uhh…there isn't enough for seconds, is there?" At Katara's annoyed look, he put his hands up defensively, "What? I'm just asking."

"No. We barely had enough, Sokka."

He nodded, yawned and stretched, "Alright, then. I'm gonna hit the hay. Since we haven't gotten any sleep in two days, I think we should just lay low for a while."

Aang and Toph then approached with their bowls and handed them to Katara. They were about to walk away when Sokka grabbed their wrists and pulled them back, "Good," he attempted to whisper; though it was pretty loud, "Everyone's here."

"What are you talking about Sokka?" Aang asked.

"Shhh! Do you want Prince Angry Jerk to hear you?"

"If you're trying to be subtle, Snoozles, you're doing a terrible job."

"Shut up!" He hissed at Toph, "Look. We need to figure this out. What are we gonna do with those two? Especially at night! Someone needs to stand watch in case he tries to grab Aang—"

"Sokka, are you _serious_? His uncle's badly injured right now. What's he gonna do, leave his uncle, grab Aang and drag him back to the Fire Nation on foot?" Katara whispered.

Toph and Aang started snickering at Katara's comment. Sokka's face turned red from a combination of anger and embarrassment, "Have you guys forgotten that he chased us halfway across the world?!"

Katara sighed, "Sokka, I can sense that he genuinely cares about his uncle. He's not gonna just leave him to kidnap Aang. And look at him. He seems…different. I'm pretty sure he's lost a lot of his resources that he had before."

"Besides," Aang said quietly, "I've escaped him enough with his ship and crew! I can take him on one on one no problem!"

"Fine!" Sokka threw his hands up in exaggeration, "But don't come crying to me when Aang and the angry jerk go missing in the middle of the night!" He said this loudly and Katara winced. He turned and stormed off towards his sleeping bag. She glanced at Zuko for what might have been the umpteenth time, but if he had heard Sokka, he paid no heed.

"Relax, Snoozles," Toph said, walking in his direction, "If he tries anything, I'll feel it and I'll kick his butt!" She settled down a little ways away from him before bending a rock tent around herself.

Katara slowly let out a breath before gathering up the bowls and set them aside; deciding to wash them later.

"Do you want me to wash those for you?" Aang asked.

Katara shook her head, "No…I think I'll do those tomorrow before breakfast. You should get some sleep, Aang," she dropped her voice a little, "just to be safe, try sleeping a little closer Toph's feet," she joked.

Aang grinned. He was about to go but paused and turned back to her, "Hey, Katara. That was very…generous of you to help Zuko's uncle like that."

Katara smiled, "I had to. They just looked so…helpless. I couldn't just leave them."

Aang nodded, "I know. You're always so willing to help; no matter who it is. That's part of the reason that I…" Aang paused and chewed his lip, "Er…that is…it's what gives you such a great personality." A light tint of pink had bloomed on his cheeks and he placed his hand on the back of his neck; unable to look her in the eye.

Katara blinked in slight confusion before she smiled, "Thanks Aang. That means a lot."

Aang nodded. He looked as if he wanted to say more, but he just shook his head, "Good night, Katara," He walked up and embraced her, "Sleep well."

Aang then let go and walked over to find a spot a few feet away from Toph's tent. He was always so accustomed to sleeping anywhere without anything like a sleeping bag. Katara never understood how he could do it.

She sighed and felt the exhaustion hitting her full force. Her eyelids felt heavy; but she couldn't go to sleep yet. She looked at the others; Toph and Sokka's snores were already filling the camp. Aang looked like was about to join them.

Just then she realized that she hadn't taken Zuko's bowl back yet. She looked up at Appa's saddle and encountered Zuko staring at her. As their gazes met, he looked away.

She stood up and walked towards Appa; deciding to check up on Iroh and take Zuko's bowl. She felt herself becoming increasingly nervous as she climbed the back of Appa's tail to reach the saddle. Sokka wasn't good at being subtle; she wouldn't be surprised if he had said those things on purpose to make sure that Zuko had heard him. She felt bad about it, but wasn't sure what to say.

He sat in the saddle with his arms crossed and the look on his face still wasn't very pleasant. "Umm…" she began, "I'm just gonna check your uncle's wound."

She squatted down by Iroh and slowly removed his bandages. The wound was still enflamed; the flesh still raw. She pulled some water out of her pouch and placed a healing glove on his chest, slowly moving it to every part of the wound; willing the flesh to mend itself. She felt his gaze watching her as she healed. She chanced a glance in his direction and noticed that he had gone from being annoyed to being awed. She saw the unmistakable wonder in his eyes.

When she finished, she wrapped the wound in fresh bandages and rose. She chewed her lip looking from Iroh to Zuko, unsure of what to say.

"Uh…this is going to take a couple of days to heal. But then he should be just fine. It's a good thing we started this right away. There's a good chance I can heal him without any…" she trailed off as she finally looked into his eyes; her own lingering on the left side of his face.

"Scarring," he finished, "He'll heal without any scarring, right?"

"Yes. Well, at least less than it could be if he healed naturally."

He looked away. She desired to know what was running through his head at that moment. Did she anger him for the hope that Iroh had that Zuko now lacked? Did she sadden him? How did that scar come to be? Was it an accident? Was it on purpose? She almost shuddered at the latter thought.

He looked as though he didn't wish to say more so she took his empty bowl which was sitting by hid feet. She was just about to slide down Appa's tail when she heard his voice again.

"You're right, you know."

Why was he doing this? Why was he starting a conversation with her? He wasn't sure; he shouldn't be talking with her. She was his enemy; one of the people preventing him from claiming the Avatar. But for some reason, he didn't want her to leave; not yet.

As much as this girl infuriated him, he couldn't help but respect her throughout their brief encounters. She had a strong will and an unbreakable loyalty to the Avatar. He couldn't even bribe answers out of her when he held her mother's necklace in his hand.

And he had seen her strength in her bending grow. She became bolder each time with her strikes until finally he faced her at the North Pole and met his match. She defeated him. Her strength was not to be messed with; and he couldn't help but respect that.

At times he found himself curious about her. How old she was; how she met the Avatar and what compelled her to journey alongside him.

"Zuko?"

He blinked; realizing that he had completely zoned out thinking about the blue-eyed Water Tribe girl in front of him.

"What?"

She smiled a little, "Right about what?"

"Oh. Right about what you said earlier," he said, looking at his uncle, "I'm not leaving without him. I'm not leaving him again."

"Again?" She inquired.

He winced. He didn't want to reveal his past to her; not to his enemy; though in this situation it was becoming increasingly harder to remember that she was just that.

"We…separated for a while. I had to…" he trailed off. He couldn't talk about trying to find destiny; not now; not to her.

"Anyway…I'm…I guess I'm glad you were able to see that I'm not _that_ heartless. Unlike your brother, apparently," the biting in his tone was very easy for her to notice.

She looked away guiltily. So he had heard their conversation. Figures.

"I'm sorry you had to hear that…"

"It doesn't matter." He refused to look at her. He chose to rest his gaze somewhere to his left; blocking the scarred side of his face from her view, "It's true anyway, isn't it? I'm still after the Avatar. I _will_ capture him and I _will_ restore my honor."

She couldn't help but notice that he seemed to be saying this more to reassure himself than as a declaration to her. She wanted to ask about him. Why he wanted Aang so badly. It seemed to be more than simply guaranteeing the Fire Nation's victory in the war. And he talked about his honor often; what about it had he lost?

"But…" he glanced back at her, "You don't need to worry about that now. I won't do anything to put your friend in danger. Not this time, anyway," he looked away again, "It's the least I can do for you helping Uncle."

She couldn't help but smile as she looked down at Iroh's unconscious form, "He means a lot to you, doesn't he?"

"Yes. He does."

Suddenly there was a rustling sound coming from nearby. Katara quickly jumped up in a bending stance and saw a form, bigger than a human, walk towards the camp from the forest.

"What _is_ that?"

"Relax," Zuko said, standing up and walking to the rear of the saddle to stand by Katara; careful not to step on Iroh, "Looks like my ride followed us here."

A rather distraught ostrich-horse stepped into the camp; its form not very clear by the light of the dying fire.

"Oh," Katara relaxed from her stance, "When did you get an ostrich-horse?"

"A few weeks ago."

Katara slid down Appa's tail to walk up to the creature.

"Poor thing," Katara said, rubbing the animal's head, "You probably need some water, don't you?"

She then glanced over at the rest of the camp, apparently undisturbed by the visitor. _Glad to know Toph's so knocked out that she can't sense anything, _she thought sarcastically.

A yawn suddenly overtook her. She then felt a wave of exhaustion hit. Healing always took a bit of strength out of her; but that combined with her lack of sleep left her barely standing. She swayed a little and felt her knees buckle and a strong arm reached out and grabbed her just as she was about to fall.

She hadn't even noticed Zuko climb down from the saddle. He had both of his hands at her waist; steadying her. And when he had grabbed her, he had instinctively pulled her closer to him. She was flush up against his chest.

Time seemed to slow down for her. All she was aware of was him. His hands around her waist; the feeling of his broad chest beneath her palms; the strong heartbeat; the smoky sent that emanated from him. She slowly looked up from his chest to his chin to his nose, and finally to his eyes. The gold was so much more apparent in the dulled light of the moon. He was handsome despite his scar. It was so much more evident now that he wasn't trying to attack her.

Her heartbeat quickened ever so slightly.

He recalled the time he had tied her up to a tree and baited her with her mother's necklace. That was the closest he'd ever been to her. She had a scent; a sweet scent that he couldn't quite explain. And he could smell that faint scent again now as he held her. A secret part of himself liked the way holding her felt. He sensed a soft curvature to her.

She was indeed a beauty. He recognized that even in the South Pole when he had first encountered her. But he didn't have time to appreciate these things. He had a mission at the time. Now, however, her beauty was more apparent to him.

What was he doing?

Once he was sure she was steady, he quickly removed his hands from her waist and took a step back. The moment was over.

He walked over to the ostrich-horse and took its reins, "I'll go water it. You need to get some sleep."

She had as much trouble hiding the nervousness in her voice as she did looking him in the eye, "Okay."

He nodded and walked off towards the lake a few yards away with the ostrich-horse.

She crawled into her sleeping bag and collapsed in its warmth and was asleep within minutes.

That mysterious boy haunted her dreams that night.


End file.
